Physical education and activity is expected to get an enhanced focus in schools from September following the publication today of a new framework by school inspectors Ofsted.

A greater emphasis on a broad and balanced curriculum, as well as the quality of personal development rather than just exam outcomes, has been interpreted as an acknowledgment of the importance and benefits of sport and activity. Read More

Physical education (P.E.) classes from the past have evolved from the stereotype of a glorified recess or a set of drills to determine who can run the fastest and jump the highest, according to a spokesman for the health and physical education program at the University of Nebraska Kearney (UNK).

“Today’s physical education classes focus on overall wellness, fitness concepts and healthy habits that can lead to a lifetime of benefits,” said Megan Adkins-Bollwitt, an associate professor at UNK’s Kinesiology and Sport Sciences Department. Read More

Sport England funding to pay for major expansion of back-to-basics child exercise scheme

The Daily Mile, the back-to-basics fitness initiative for schoolchildren, has received a £1.5m cash injection from Sport England, which hopes to spread the word about it to every primary school in England.

The national lottery money represents the biggest expansion of the scheme which began six years ago with children at a primary school in Stirling running five laps round the playing field. It is now a regular fixture at 3,500 schools in England and for 1.25 million children worldwide. Read More